Planet Ark sinks deeper
More news has surfaced regarding Planet Ark turning Judas.
They accepted $700,000 from the logging industry group Forest Wood Products Australia and then began running their ad campaign for them.
Founders of Planet Ark John Dee and Pat Cash sold the company/charity to new owners some time ago. They are now so disgusted by this capitulation with the logging industry they have resigned their memberships in protest and demanded Planet Ark take all reference to them off the website.
Planet Ark has also misquoted a university study on logging (part funded by FWPA), but which doesn’t appear in the study. Planet Ark claimed logging products are carbon-friendly to build with, and referenced an RMIT study. But the quote came directly from a FWPA “fact sheet”. Planet Ark admitted this after a Weekly Times journalist questioned them – however they went on to use this again in a TV interview.
Planet Ark probably thought they could escape scrutiny or at least weather this patch of bad publicity. Though this exposé of them jumping gleefully into bed with the logging industry for a handful of silver will not be quickly forgotten or forgiven.
Click here to read a PDF of the Weekly Times article.
If you missed the ABC’s 7:30 item on the Planet Ark story check the program website which also contains a transcript.